Holiday Jewelry and Craft Traditions (and How to Start Them)

From baking cookies and hanging stockings to putting up house lights and decorating a tree--the holidays are almost nothing but traditions. Why not add to your list of Christmas traditions using your beads and jewelry-making supplies, and have more fun together?

One of the traditions in my family is each person gets one brand-new ornament every year. Some have been bought at craft fairs, some have been made by family, some have been inheritances we were finally old enough to handle. Year to year, those ornaments filled the tree, making memories. When I finally had a home of my own (and a tree of my own), those ornaments came with me to start my own holiday traditions. From beaded candy canes to ''DIY Christmas Ornaments,'' beads and jewelry-making supplies embellish my holidays.

They can embellish yours, too. Here's how:

1.Make Ornaments

s you might expect, this is a favorite of mine! Kids can participate in this, if they've got adult supervision and are using kid-appropriate beads and glues. 

• A length of wire with alternating acrylic red and white glass-based pearls? You've got a candy cane!
• Use an ornament frame and add beads, glitter, polymer clay, Gilders Paste®, wire and other jewelry-making supplies for sparkle, color and shine!
• Use a clear glass bottle drops and fill it with colorful seed beads. Glue the top on so no beads can escape and you've got a great home-made piece of décor.

There are tons of other ornaments you can make using bead embroidery, loomwork and other techniques.

2. Embellish Holiday Décor

The seed beaders, fabric embellishers and wireworkers have a home advantage with this category:

• Create  ornament hangers to liven up trees and hallways with additional sparkle and flash. Designers can make individual hangers or build sets for resale at holiday bazaars.
• Embellish table runners or figurines with beads, seed beads, pearls and other jewelry-making supplies for a festive addition.
• Wire, links and jumprings are ideal for adding Crystal Passions® crystal beads, drops, monteés and other sparkly delights to candle holders. Flat back crystals glue on fabulously, too, with no need for tools or too much hand-eye coordination. (Still, go light on the eggnog, okay?)

Mixing the three (seed beads, fabric and wirework)? Pure holiday magic! 

Don't forget about making holiday cards and wine charms, too!

Build your family traditions with a beading or jewelry-making session sometime during the season. Then you can decorate and embellish your holidays with your family, instead of worrying about getting it all done before they arrive!